Redefining Strength Podcast

I went through a month of your questions from social media, email and DMs, narrowed them down to the most common ones, and answered as many as I could in 10 minutes.

We'll cover...

We’ve been sold fat loss as a 21-day challenge, a 90-day cut, or a before-and-after with an end date. But lasting body recomp comes from what you do around those phases: the busy seasons, the stressful months, the holidays, and the vacations where going all in just isn’t realistic.

In this episode, I break down the 4 lifestyle phases of body recomp, why “push harder” keeps backfiring (hello, present bias and cognitive dissonance), and how to figure out which phase you should be in right now so you stop starting over every January, every Monday, or after ev...

Hate tracking macros? These 10 macro tracking hacks make counting macros feel like food freedom instead of restriction, so you can finally see body recomposition results without feeling hungry or miserable.

I resisted macro tracking for years. Every time I tried, I felt deprived and still wasn’t seeing the recomp results I wanted. The problem wasn’t tracking. It was HOW I was tracking. In this episode, I’m sharing the 10 mindset shifts and practical strategies that made flexible dieting finally click for me long-term, whether your goal is fat loss, building muscle, fueling performance, or just feelin...

Some of the most popular fitness advice out there sounds smart, and some of it is even true. But the way I was using it was exactly what kept me stuck.

In this episode, I'm sharing the advice I followed for years, the fitness "rules" I believed without question, and why I eventually had to ditch them or completely rethink how I used them to see real results. These are the habits and mindsets that led to injuries, kept me on the dieting roller coaster, and had me working harder without making progress, and you might be...

"I leaned out eating more. I didn't have to starve."

That's a real quote from a client email. I recently asked the Redefining Strength community what advice actually made a difference for them, and the same lessons kept coming up again and again. So I pulled together the top 10 pieces of coaching advice that my clients say changed their results, from fat loss and body recomposition to strength training, metabolism, and finally breaking the yo-yo dieting cycle.

Some of these might surprise you. The #1 answer is the one clients fought me on the hardest, and...

If you've ever blamed your age for feeling weaker, gaining fat more easily, or struggling to see results in the gym, this episode is your reality check. Age is rarely the real problem, it's just the easiest excuse to reach for. In this episode, you'll learn why the fitness and dieting habits that used to work are now working against you, and why chasing the scale instead of building muscle is quietly wrecking your metabolism.

You'll hear why "eating less" often backfires after 40, how anabolic resistance changes the way your body uses protein, and why fearing intensity...

You can have the perfect macros and the perfect training split and still fall off track because the plan was never the real problem. In this video, I'm breaking down the three things that actually determine whether your body recomp sticks this time, and none of them are a diet tweak or a new workout split.

We cover:

- Why stacking small, almost-too-easy wins builds more momentum than an all-or-nothing overhaul
- How to actually learn from past failed attempts instead of just feeling defeated by them
- Why trying to do it...

Body recomp doesn’t have to be complicated. But with all the conflicting advice around fat loss, muscle building, hormones, metabolism, workouts, and nutrition, it’s easy to spend years chasing the “perfect” approach instead of focusing on what actually moves the needle.

After nearly two decades in the fitness industry...and plenty of trial and error myself...there are a few things I wish I’d understood much sooner.

In this video, I’m breaking down the 7 body recomp rules I keep coming back to again and again. These aren’t trendy hacks or quick fixes. T...

I ate so clean during my first cut that I made myself sick on vacation. One spicy sangria and some Mexican food later, it was bad news bears. Then I couldn't get back on track for weeks, because that's exactly what happens when your approach is too rigid for real life.

That was fitness flop number one. And after almost two decades in this industry, coaching thousands of women through their own body recomp journeys while also testing everything on myself, I have made just about every mistake in the book. Some of them were obvious in...

I just want to get rid of this jiggle" is probably the most common thing I hear about arms. And relaxed muscle does jiggle, that's just normal. But there is a real way to build the definition you're after, especially during perimenopause and menopause when collagen loss and hormonal shifts change the game.

You can't spot reduce fat from just your arms, but you can strategically create the conditions for real change: building the muscle underneath and supporting the skin on top of it.

In this video I'm sharing the 5 things that have actually helped...

To get leaner you might have to do the opposite of everything you've ever done.
Focus on building muscle first. Or what I like to call...Muscle FIRST Fat Loss.

But this is honestly easier said than done, both mentally and physically. Because the approach that actually works goes against almost every instinct and habit you've built around fat loss.

And even when you know it's right it feels wrong.

There are 7 mistakes I've personally made that sabotaged my results and honestly still are tough to avoid. And most women...

I'm going to be brutally honest. I've been struggling.

Struggling to set a goal. Struggling to stay focused. Struggling to find the discipline and flow that, honestly, I usually have. There have even been moments where I just didn't care about doing the things I knew I needed to do.

The moment I caught myself thinking about all the things I "should" be doing, it became the wake-up call I needed. It forced me to recognize my own drift, my own excuses, and the patterns that were quietly pulling me away from the person I...

So many of us are doing the worst cardio for body recomp while thinking we're doing the exact thing we should be doing for weight loss.

I made this mistake for years…I slaughtered myself with spin classes and logged miles on any cardio equipment I could find. Not because I loved it. But because I thought more cardio was the answer.

Spoiler alert. It's not.

I ended up burnt out. My cravings were through the roof. I was yo-yo dieting. And despite all that work? I was looking softer not le...

Nothing worth having comes easy and that's especially true of your body after 40.

Anyone telling you there's one magic supplement, protocol, or 30-day fix is lying to you. Or selling you something. Usually both.

After almost two decades of coaching over 10,000 women, I've figured out the frameworks that actually work even in perimenopause, even at 85, even if you feel like nothing works anymore. I call them laws at this point, because when women follow them, their bodies respond. When they ignore them, it's always the same story.

I know because I ignored them...

You've stared at the scale and let one number undo weeks of hard work. In this episode, we're flipping the script on the most misunderstood tool in your fitness journey.

The scale doesn't measure fat. It measures everything: water, food, stress, hormones, inflammation, and about a dozen other things that have nothing to do with your progress. So why does it still have so much power over how we feel?

We're breaking down exactly why the number can jump while your jeans get looser (and why that's actually a good sign), walking through a pre-weigh...

You're training hard, eating clean, doing everything "right," so why is menopause belly fat still creeping up? In this episode, I break down why your old fat-loss strategies stopped working and what's actually happening hormonally as estrogen declines.

You'll learn:

✅ Why overtraining and high-intensity cardio spike cortisol and drive fat storage straight to your midsection

✅ Why under-eating (especially below 1200 calories) backfires and slows your metabolism instead of speeding it up

✅ Why shifting from cardio-first to strength-first training changes your body composition without doing more

I also share a real client...

Your metabolism doesn’t “die” — but it can adapt down when your body is under-fueled, over-stressed, under-recovered, or stuck in the wrong fat loss mindset.

In this episode, we’re breaking down the 5 hidden metabolism killers that can sabotage fat loss, body recomposition, energy, and long-term results — including the clean eating trap, chronic stress, low daily movement, sleep deprivation, and the “stay skinny” mindset.

You’ll learn why eating less and training harder isn’t always the answer, how stress and sleep impact muscle protein synthesis, recovery, cravings, and fat storage, and why building muscle is one of the best w...

I resisted every single one of these for way too long. These are the 10 hard doses of reality I had to face to get leaner and stronger, protect my metabolic health, and actually feel my best while looking my most fabulous.

Body recomp is real, but it's slower and more nuanced than "calories in vs calories out." It means losing fat while building muscle (or building muscle while losing fat), and that takes a primary focus, smart phases, and a willingness to let go of the diet mentality, the scale obsession, and the idea that recovery is...

Ever finished a challenge only to slide right back into old habits? You're not lazy, and you don't lack willpower...you've just been repeating a pattern no one taught you how to break.

In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the five mistakes that kept me restarting every 21 or 30 days: going in without an exit strategy, blindly following a plan instead of understanding why it works, ignoring the mind-body connection, believing it has to feel hard to count, and cherry-picking pieces of a system instead of trusting the whole thing.

Then I'm joined...

Struggling to lose fat and actually keep it off? It's not a magic macro ratio or the perfect workout plan that gets you lasting results...it's finding the weird variations of habits that fit who YOU are. In this episode, I'm breaking down the 7 weird habits and mindset shifts that helped me lose fat, build lean muscle, and maintain my body recomposition results long term.

You'll learn why I said "eff it" to clean eating and started planning dessert FIRST, how 3-week workout progressions helped me build muscle without burning out, why telling myself I'd "track macros...

You're allowed to want to look good. Full stop.

But somewhere along the way, aesthetic goals got villainized...like wanting to lose those last few pounds or finally see some definition means you're choosing vanity over health. That ends today.

In this video, I'm sharing the 5 shifts that helped me finally look AND feel my most fabulous without sacrificing the lifestyle I love...and why owning your aesthetic goals might actually be the healthiest thing you can do.

In this video:

The scale has been lying to you and it's costing you your progress. If you've ever done everything right all week, stepped on the scale, and felt like your hard work meant nothing, this episode is for you.The truth is, the scale measures one thing: gravity's pull on your total body weight. 

It cannot tell you whether you're losing fat, building muscle, retaining water, or genuinely making progress. And if it's the only tool you're using to track your body recomposition journey, you are missing the full picture every single time.In this episode, we're breaking d...

Struggling to lose fat even though you’re eating well, doing cardio, or trying to stay consistent with your workouts?

The missing piece may not be more restriction or more cardio. It may be building muscle.

In this episode, I’m breaking down why weight training is one of the most important tools for fat loss, especially if you want results that last. We’ll talk about how strength training helps you build lean muscle, improve your metabolism, change your body composition, and create a body that looks stronger, leaner, and more defined.

You’ll...

If your goal is fat loss, should you be doing cardio, lifting weights, or Pilates?

The answer is not as simple as picking one and ditching the others.

In this video, I’m breaking down the real fat loss training hierarchy: what to prioritize first, why weight training is the foundation, where cardio actually fits, why walking is more powerful than most people realize, and how Pilates or activation work can make your strength training even more effective.

We’ll talk about why steady-state cardio often gets overused, why sprint intervals can support fat...

Most women working on body recomp are making at least 3 of these 9 mistakes without even knowing it — and fixing them changes everything. In this episode, I'm breaking down the exact mistakes that were holding me back (yes, I made all 9) and what to do instead so your body can actually respond.

From how you think about cravings, to your macro strategy, to how much you're relying on caffeine to get through the day — these are the sneaky things that stall your progress and keep you stuck in the cycle of losing and regaining.

📥 Grab my free Bo...

Why Eating More Is the Secret to Losing Fat (And Why It Feels Wrong at First)
If you've been eating less, training harder, and still not seeing results this episode is for you.

The truth is, chronic under-eating slows your metabolism, disrupts your hormones, and actually makes fat loss harder over time. And for most women, eating MORE is the missing piece...but getting there isn't easy.

In this episode we'll cover:

I spent years thinking losing fat while building muscle was impossible...and that belief was completely sabotaging me. I was eating less, training harder, and wondering why I never looked as defined as I felt I should. The answer? I was optimizing for weight loss, not recomp. And the scale was lying to me the entire time.

In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly why the scale isn't the measure of progress you think it is, what signs to actually look for to know recomp is working, and the four essential things you need to focus on...

JUST. LIFT. HEAVY. We see that all the time on social media. But is that advice actually holding you back?

In this episode, we're pushing back on the one-size-fits-all approach to strength training. While heavy compound lifts are absolutely valuable, obsessing over low reps and maximal loads means leaving serious gains on the table. We break down the three real drivers of muscle growth — mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle tissue damage — and why no single rep range or training style can hit all three on its own.

You'll learn why the "just lift heavy" mind...

Every Woman Should Be Able To Do A Pull Up. I made that statement knowing it was going to be controversial but I was genuinely surprised by how much pushback it got. So I wanted to break down what I actually meant, because the pull-up was never really the point.

In this episode, I'm talking about why so many of us have been conditioned to write ourselves off from hard things before we ever truly try. Whether it was a gym class, a throwaway comment, or someone else's limiting belief passed down as fact — we carry these ce...

You think you're being smart by eating less during the week to "save room" for the weekend. But this strategy — called calorie banking — may actually be training your body to store more fat over time.

In this video, Cori breaks down the concept of collateral fattening: why extreme weekday deficits cause muscle loss, slow your metabolism, and amplify hunger cues — so that by the time the weekend hits, you're eating in a much bigger surplus than you realize. And why this cycle gets worse with every dieting attempt.

You'll learn:

What if strength isn't about pushing harder — but about how much you can hold? In this episode, I'm joined by mindset coach Charlotte Grimmel, and honestly, this conversation stopped me in my tracks more than once.

We dig into what it really means to be strong — not in the grind-through-it, grit-your-teeth kind of way, but in the intentional, self-aware, capacity-building kind of way. Charlotte breaks down why saying no is one of the most powerful things you can do, why chasing outcomes is keeping you stuck, and how treating your goals like experiments might be the mindset shif...

There Are No Bad Exercises!

I'm coming in hot today because I am tired of hearing that exercises are bad. Lunges hurt your knees? Deadlifts wreck your back? No. Moves are not bad you just haven't earned them yet, and I'm going to tell you exactly what I mean by that.

In this episode I'm breaking down why demonizing exercises is actually what's holding you back, the difference between movement patterns and recruitment patterns (yes, you can have perfect-looking form and still be cheating), and why follow-along workouts might be part of the...

Most of us are told the answer is inside us. Trust your gut. Believe in yourself. Look inward. But what if that's only getting you halfway there? NYU professor, bestselling author, and host of the Becoming You podcast Suzy Welch reveals why real self-awareness requires more than internal reflection — and why the gap between who you think you are and how the world actually experiences you could be the hidden force behind your plateaus, your patterns, and your struggles to stay consistent.

We get into why asking yourself if you're self-aware is the least reliable way to fi...

Think "abs are made in the kitchen" and "muscle is built in the gym" are the keys to your dream body? These popular fitness mantras might actually be the reason you're stuck in a frustrating cycle of yo-yo dieting, rebound weight gain, and zero progress.In this episode, I'm breaking down why obsessing over just nutrition OR just training is secretly sabotaging your results...and what to focus on instead to finally achieve the body recomp you've been chasing.

You'll learn:

- Why a calories-in-calories-out mentality leads to metabolic adaptation and rebound
- Why...

Most women are tracking everything...their sleep, their stress, their steps, their food...and still feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and like their body is working against them. Yale-trained MD and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Aviva Romm says the problem isn't your data. It's that you've stopped trusting yourself.

In this episode, Dr. Romm breaks down why metabolic flexibility —not more optimization — is the real key to lasting health, strong hormones, and aging well as a woman. We get into why cortisol isn't the enemy (and what actually happens when you chronically suppress it), how your menstrual cycl...

There’s a moment almost everyone hits in their fat-loss journey...

and if you’re here, I’m willing to bet you’ve hit it too. It’s that moment where you’re doing the workouts…

eating healthy…
trying to be consistent…
trying SO hard to “do everything right”…
And then you catch your reflection in a window…and your stomach just drops.

So you check. You snap a progress photo.You look at the scale.

You take your measurements.And instead of feeling proud, you feel that same heavy frustration was...

If you've ever felt dismissed, confused, or completely blindsided by the changes happening in your body, this episode is for you.

Dr. Jolene Brighten, hormone expert and women's medicine advocate, is pulling back the curtain on everything the medical system hasn't told you about perimenopause, strength, and reclaiming your health. From the brain remodeling that happens during perimenopause to why your old dieting strategies are making your hormones worse, Dr. Brighton breaks it all down in a way that finally makes sense.

In this episode we cover:

Are you stuck chasing the “best” workout, the “best” macro ratio, or the “best” food for fat loss?

In this episode, I’m breaking down why constantly searching for the perfect tactic is often the exact thing keeping you stuck.

Because the truth is, there usually isn’t one magic move, one perfect macro split, or one ideal food. Results come from how everything works together within your lifestyle, your goals, and your current season of life.

In this episode, I talk about:

Menopause doesn't have to mean a slower metabolism, stubborn belly fat, or feeling like your body betrayed you. In this interview Dr. Stacy Sims—world-renowned exercise physiologist, nutrition scientist, and author of ROAR and Next Level—breaks down exactly why traditional advice (endless Zone 2 cardio, fasting, calorie restriction) backfires for women in perimenopause and menopause... and what actually works to rev your metabolism, build resilient strength, and thrive.

We dive deep into:

-Why sprints and heavy lifting (low reps, high intensity) create powerful metabolic signaling

-The truth about fueling: More protein + carbs (not...